In times of increasing energy costs, there is a strong interest in various fields for the possibility of conserving energy or using said more effectively. One possible measure in areas which use a great deal of energy such as thermal insulation is to improve the effectiveness of the energy used wherein needless energy loss is avoided. In particular, the cooling and heating of devices (e.g. refrigerators and ice-chests, boilers, hot-water tanks—e.g. for solar panels, washing machines), buildings or vehicles is energy-intensive, wherein frequently the problem exists that insulation requires more space than is available.
Furthermore, there is a desire for upgrading techniques wherein the existing devices, buildings or vehicles can be better insulated retroactively.
Various systems are known for insulating devices or buildings. The patent specification DE 689 28 547 T2 describes, for example, an ultra-thin compact vacuum insulation material which consists of thin metal plates welded together in an airtight manner. In order to avoid collapse of the plates when subjected to a strong vacuum, spacing elements are placed between the plates. In accordance with the invention, spacing elements can be glass or glass-ceramic spheres or a thin (glass) textile with projections, e.g. spheres or rods. In particular, the positioning, in accordance with the invention, of the spheres is however labor intensive and requires numerous additional procedural steps in the production of said.
The patent specification DE 691 22 249 T2 discloses a very similar technology which is distinguished in that it makes use of a single spacing element consisting of a single piece instead of numerous individual spacing elements. The spacing element in accordance with the invention consists thereby of a thin, rigid support panel which separates the walls of the thermal insulation plate to be voided with numerous projections. It is also possible to use multiple panels of this type stacked on top of each other. The walls and support panel thereby consist of different materials, specifically metal and a material having a lower thermo-conductive property (e.g. glass coated with enamel).
These thermal insulating plates have the disadvantage that they are relatively expensive to produce as a separate production of plates and support panels of different materials is required. Furthermore, comparatively heavy materials are uses.
As a representative of other patents in this field, for the sake of completeness, reference is made to the EP 1 475 486 B1, which discloses vacuum insulation panels. The vacuum insulation panels according to the invention consist of a flat thermal insulating layer (foam, fibrous material, or microporous insulating material) with a casing of a metallic foil which is welded in an airtight manner and voided. The panels are parallelepiped such that they may be placed next to each other without gaps, despite the welding seams.
Due to the thin walled casing of the panels with metallic foil, these insulation elements are vulnerable. Already in the installation phase the metallic foil can be easily damaged when being glued or in extensive foaming constructions, wherein the vacuum is sacrificed. It is also problematic that insulation elements of this type have a relatively large dimensional tolerance.
Double walled nucleus elements subjected to a low vacuum are known from the OS 23 49 401, with which, for example, pyramidal elevations can be formed lying between their linear support strips. The elements are supported by ridges and cushions, wherein the production of the elements and the connecting of said seems to be quite complicated and thereby expensive. Furthermore, thermal stress and/or displacement could occur, such that an arrangement of this complexity would appear to be delicate and subject to damage. It is also not clear that such an arrangement is sufficiently durable.